New Mexico Guard Cullen Neal Expected to Be Ready For Practice Despite Appendectomy

By Paul Seaver

Ron Chenoy-USA Today Sports

The New Mexico Lobos are on the road and in Australia this month for an exhibition tour abroad as they prepare for their first season under newly appointed head coach, Craig Neal.

With Neal’s hiring, the Lobos kept in tact a solid group of contributors off a squad that earned a No. 3 seed within the Big Dance this past March. One of the team’s newest additions heading into the 2013-14 season however, was Cullen Neal, the head coach’s son who switched his commitment late to play for his father and the Lobos. Neal is a nice addition for New Mexico and there’s no denying the solid depth and rotational help that the freshman will provide this season.

During the team’s exhibition trip to Australia however, Neal suffered an emergency appendectomy, a procedure that will sideline him for the coming weeks while he recovers. Reports do indicate however, that Neal will be ready to go once practice begins at the tail end of September. The injury obviously came at a time where Neal has plenty of time to get on the court before the regular season actually begins, which is somewhat of a bright spot in this situation.

Neal is expected to play back up minutes on the Lobos’ perimeter behind veteran guards Kendall Williams and Hugh Greenwood. Neal originally committed to Saint Mary’s in high school, but his decision to attend New Mexico to play for his father adds plenty of stability in the years to come.